BAKING TRADE DISPUTE

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24798, 12 February 1946, Page 4

BAKING TRADE DISPUTE

CANTERBURY UNION’S ATTITUDE

SUPPORT FOR FIVE-DAY WEEK

The Canterbury Baking Trades Employees’ Union yesterday announced that, in a ballot on a five-day «-hour week as opposed to a six-day 40-nour week, 95 per cent, of the members who voted were prepared to endorse the action of the main North Island branches of the union in refusing to make or bake bread, pastrycooks smallgoods, and the products of pie bakeries except on five days a week, from Monday to Friday inclusive. Mr M. C. R. Gillard, secretary of the union, said that notwithstanding the result of the ballot, his committee was deferring any action by members until clarification of the statement on February 7 by the Acting-Minister of Labour (the Hon. J. O’Brien) had been received from the head office of the union. ’ , . , In their ballot, the employees had gone against the ruling of Mr J. A. Gilmour. S.M.. on the hearing by the Emergency Disputes Committee at Auckland, said Mr G. R. Burrowes. secretary of the Canterbury Master Bakers’ Association, when invited to comment on the union’s announcement. Many members of his association would be as glad of a holiday on Saturdays as the employees, but they felt that the needs of the public for frosh bread must be considered. An endeavour was now being made to obtain an early hearing of the case for a new award, when the whole matter would be placed before the Arbitration Court. Mr Burrowes said that the statement by the Minister published last Friday referred only to Wellington. He did not know if this was the statement about which the union sought further information. (The Minister said that it had been agreed to give a five-day week a trial, on conditions to be discussed later.)